-LRB- CNN -RRB- Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry again asserted his innocence in the felony abuse-of-power case against him Wednesday and pledged to fight the charges , despite a Texas judge 's refusal to dismiss the case this week .

`` I am confident that I will ultimately prevail because the prosecution 's case amounts to the criminalization of politics , '' he said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference .

Perry 's attorneys had sought to have the two criminal charges -- coercion of a public official and abuse of official capacity -- against him thrown out on constitutional grounds , their second failed attempt to have the case dismissed .

Tony Buzbee , the governor 's attorney , said in a statement issued Tuesday that Perry `` acted lawfully and properly exercised his power under the law as Governor to protect the public safety and integrity of government . ''

`` Continued prosecution of Governor Perry is an outrage and sets a dangerous precedent in our Democracy . America 's commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law is at stake in this case , which is why we will immediately appeal this decision to the Third District Court of Appeals , '' he said .

The former governor has already spent more than $ 1 million from his campaign coffers on his defense , and another appeal is likely to take months and draw more resources as he prepares for a likely presidential bid .

Perry was indicted in August related to his 2013 veto threat to veto funding for public corruption prosecutors in the state , a threat which he eventually carried out and one that critics said was intended to pressure a local district attorney to resign .

District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg , a Democrat , rebuffed the governor 's calls to resign after she was arrested and pleaded guilty in April of 2013 to drunken driving .

The Texas governor is openly preparing for another presidential bid , and though the indictment was then seen as a possible impediment to his candidacy , he continued his travel to early primary states , and in fact drew widespread support from Republicans when the indictment was reported .

His potential GOP primary opponents again came to his defense with the judge 's decision to allow the case to move forward this week .

Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz , along with Govs. Scott Walker and Chris Christie , all issued statements of support on social media .

And Perry reiterated Thursday that the ongoing case will have no impact on his preparations for a second run .

`` We 're moving right along as we have intended to '' with those plans , he said , and hinted that he may already have his mind made up on whether to go forward with another bid .

`` We 'll make a decision -- or , actually , make an announcement , is a better descriptive term -- in the May-June timetable just like we had intended to before this , '' Perry added .

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A Texas judge denied the second attempt by Rick Perry 's attorneys to have the felony charges against him thrown out

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Perry pledged to continue to fight the charges , which he said `` amounts to the criminalization of politics ''

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He said he 's moving forward with a potential presidential bid , despite the charges